Security

Shifting Priorities

An Anarchist’s Conviction Offers a Grim Foreshadowing of Trump’s War on the ‘Left’

As the Trump administration ramps up its targeting of left-leaning people and groups, the prosecution and harsh sentencing of Casey Goonan may provide a glimpse of things to come.

Bad Apples

Hack Exposes Kansas City’s Secret Police Misconduct List

Uncanny Valley

How to Hack a Poker Game

Cyberattacks and Hacks

Ex-L3Harris Cyber Boss Pleads Guilty to Selling Trade Secrets to Russian Firm

Peter Williams, a former executive of Trenchant, L3Harris’ cyber division, has pleaded guilty to two counts of stealing trade secrets and selling them to an unnamed Russian software broker.

Amazon Explains How Its AWS Outage Took Down the Web

Plus: The Jaguar Land Rover hack sets an expensive new record, OpenAI’s new Atlas browser raises security fears, Starlink cuts off scam compounds, and more.

How Hacked Card Shufflers Allegedly Enabled a Mob-Fueled Poker Scam That Rocked the NBA

WIRED recently demonstrated how to cheat at poker by hacking the Deckmate 2 card shufflers used in casinos. The mob was allegedly using the same trick to fleece victims for millions.

This ‘Privacy Browser’ Has Dangerous Hidden Features

The Universe Browser is believed to have been downloaded millions of times. But researchers say it behaves like malware and has links to Asia’s booming cybercrime and illegal gambling networks.

Privacy

CBP Searched a Record Number of Phones at the US Border Over the Past Year

The total number of US Customs and Border Protection device searches jumped by 17 percent over the 2024 fiscal year, but more invasive forensic searches remain relatively rare.

Hundreds of People With ‘Top Secret’ Clearance Exposed by House Democrats’ Website

A database containing information on people who applied for jobs with Democrats in the US House of Representatives was left accessible on the open web.

The Best VPNs That Actually Protect You Online

Every VPN says it’s the best, but only some of them are telling the truth.

Hackers Dox ICE, DHS, DOJ, and FBI Officials

Plus: A secret FBI anti-ransomware task force gets exposed, the mystery of the CIA’s Kryptos sculpture is finally solved, North Koreans busted hiding malware in the Ethereum blockchain, and more.

Security Advice

The Password Managers You Should Use Instead of Your Browser

Keep your logins locked down with our favorite password management apps for PC, Mac, Android, iPhone, and web browsers.

How to Use Passkeys With Google Password Manager

Google can create and manage passkeys from your browser, but the process is more involved than it suggests.

How to Use a Password Manager to Share Your Logins After You Die

Your logins will live on after you pass on. Make sure they end up in the right hands.

How to Set Up and Use a Burner Phone

Obtaining and using a true burner phone is hard—but not impossible. Here are the steps you need to take to protect your mobile communications based on the risks you face.

Security News

ICE Wants to Build a Shadow Deportation Network in Texas

A new ICE proposal outlines a 24/7 transport operation run by armed contractors—turning Texas into the logistical backbone of an industrialized deportation machine.

The Microsoft Azure Outage Shows the Harsh Reality of Cloud Failures

The second major cloud outage in less than two weeks, Azure’s downtime highlights the “brittleness” of a digital ecosystem that depends on a few companies never making mistakes.

This Is the Nuclear-Powered Ship Deployed in Trump’s War on Drug Boats

The USS Gerald R. Ford is a $13 billion aircraft carrier sailing to the Caribbean with nuclear propulsion, an electromagnetic plane launcher, and 90 aircraft onboard.

Chatbots Are Pushing Sanctioned Russian Propaganda

ChatGPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, and Grok are serving users propaganda from Russian-backed media when asked about the invasion of Ukraine, new research finds.